3rd Blog

Hey, Guys. Sorry I haven't been there this week. Can we just say REALLY SICK!!!! UGH! I'd so much rather be there with you! In fact, I think this is the longest I've been in an upright position... except to go see the doctor. Okay... TMI (yes, I just used text speak, get over it).

So, because I've been out, you (hopefully, if things go as planned) get a day in the lab to work on your blog. Hooray! So, here are the things that NEED to happen today... get as much done on your blog, and fill in the form, because I am having a hard time finding some of your blogs (if they've been changed since the first form you filled out) and it would be nice for you to have a grade if you completed it. Although, please, be patient with me on your grades... I haven't been this sick in a long time.

Click this link to get credit for your second blog

Now, here is the requirement for the final blog of term 2 Due Saturday, December 14

Writing:

• 12 responses to prejudice/racism (counts as 3 posts)
• thoughts on courage
• current event
• Free write

Reading

• 2 Reading responses (Thanksgiving week off)--remember, this is more than a summary... your thoughts about the story, the characters, the situations they find themselves. What you like, what you don't like, predictions, connections,etc. If you need help or an example, click the reading tab above.
• 6-10 vocabulary words (remember your definition, and the actual definition.

Second Blog Assignment

This blog has just a bit more required, due to the added time to work on it. Because in the difference in overall time between blog assignments (B-day had a shorter amount of time), A-day has a few more requirements. Here are the requirements for the second blog assignment (A day is due November 22; B day is due November 21):

Writing (notebook prompts most recent first):

Current Event: National, State, or local news article--tell me about it, what are your thoughts, give support from the article.
Childhood Memory--neighborhood map exercise--one memory from that area
What does it mean to be civilized?
Pride: What is it? Is it good or bad? Both? Why?
Sibling rivalry: The good, the bad, the ugly.
Bucket List (Post about one of the things you want to see/do/accomplish in your life)
A day only: Free write--anything of your choice.

Explanations of Writing Prompts

Reading:
Three 250 word reading responses (see Reading tab above)

Vocab:
A day: 9-15 words, your definition, actual definition
B day: 6-10 words, your definition, actual definition

The next blog will be due in mid-December

Log in Update!!

Today your passwords were reset. This changes your password to what I originally posted. The zeros now are at the beginning of your student number, even if it was the other way around when we've been working on the blog the last few days.  They were supposed to be reset before we set up the blog, but it happened during the day today. So, if your password is no longer working, switch to the zeros at the front of your student number, and things should work fine. Email me if that is not the case.

First Blog Assignment

Here are the requirements for your first blog:

Writing posts (these come directly from your notebook)

• Write about a current event (use appropriate language and support from good media sources)
• Would You Rather
• Thoughts on Success
• Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life 
• 140 Character Memoir (tweet... memoir using up to 140 characters only)
• 6 Word Memoir (4 to get credit)

Explanations of Writing Prompts

Reading /Vocabulary Posts

• Two reading response (follow reading response instructions and example on reading page--you already wrote one in class)
• 6-10 vocabulary words (follow vocabulary instructions on vocabulary page)

You will receive two grades in Skyward. One for your reading blog and one for your writing blog (30 points each).

When you are finished, click the link below:

Click here to get credit for this assignment!!

Customizing

Once you complete the basic requirements of the blog, you can individualize it however you would like.  Blogger allows you to change your original template, change the font style, color and size. You can change the background colors, or the entire image. There are also sites around the web (Lee Lou Blogs, Cutest Blog on the Block, etc) that will allow you to add your own style to your blog. You can figure out the extras on your own, but I will at least give you an overview of the blogger options.

1. Once again, from your dashboard, click your edit button (two pages with the drop down button). This time, click template.

• Underneath the "Live on Blog" image, click customize

2. Templates:

• You can play with the options that the different templates give you... it moves things around a bit, gives you general color options, fonts, centers things differently on the page, etc. Templates can be interchanged... it really only matters in the log run how you want the general layout of your blog to be... everything else can be changed.
• So, select a template, click apply to blog, and then move on.

3. Background

• With background you have two blogger optioned choices
• change color theme (basic color themes are given to you here--click one and move on)
• change the image (a plethora of choices await you, or you can upload your own image).
• If you choose to change your background image, click on the box that shows your current background. A box that shows a bunch of different images will come up. Each category on the left will have a different set of images.  Look through until you find an image you like, select the image, and then click 'done.'
• When you have selected your background, click apply to blog.

4. Adjust Widths

• This allows you to expand the entire size of your blog from left to right, or adjust the columns if you need to. Use the slides at the top of the screen to make adjustments below.

5. Layout

• This allows you to rearrange your gadgets, change the way your blog looks, etc.

6. Advanced

• This is where you can change your font style, size and color. Nearly every bit of text on your page is under a different heading, so be aware of what fonts you want to match and what should be different.  Also, keep in mind, that readers need to be able to see what is on the page, so make sure the fonts pop, instead of blend.  This is really trial and error.  You can always check things out by clicking 'View Blog' before saving. Make sure to save changes you like by clicking 'apply to blog.'

Once you have made all of your changes (or at least what you have time for) and are ready to return to your blog, click 'back to blogger.'

Hopefully this helps get you started. Play with the system... it's all really about trial and error. Have fun with the gadgets, add pictures. I know this is an assignment for school, but the more fun you allow yourself to have with it, the more you'll get out of it.

Setting Up Your Blog

Once you have your blog created, there are certain requirements that your blog needs to have. Follow the steps below to complete them.

1. Log in to your blogger account. This will take you to your "dashboard" (this page lists all of your blogs under your username).

2. From here, next to the title of your blog, there are three buttons: an orange one with a pencil, two pages with a drop down arrow, and a "view blog" button. Go to the center button (to pages with a down arrow) and click. This takes you to a page with the options list on the left hand side of the page. From here go to "Layout."

• On the layout screen, find the title of your blog... depending on your layout, it will either be at the top of the page, or on the side. Click edit. 
• A second screen will come up. This is the screen where, if you ever decide to, you can change your title. For our purposes, however, I want you to add a description. This description should be something like "English Notebook Assignment".
• Once you have done this, click save, or save changes, or what ever the option is.

3. Also on the layout page, on either the right or left hand side (do not click the option in the middle), click "Add a Gadget." When that window comes up, scroll down until you have the option to add a list--not a blog list, or a link list--just a list.

• A window will open. Title this list something like "Books I've Read This Year," leave the count box blank. This is where you will list all of the books that you have read. You can start by adding the books that you have read from the time school started until now (for some this will be easy, for some, it might be a little more difficult). Add them one book at a time, and hit "add" in between each book. When you are done, hit "save"
• When you are done, at the top of the Layout screen, hit "save arrangement"

4. Click on Settings, then click on Posts and Comments:

• Under "Comment Moderation" you may change it to Always, which allows you to see all comments before they show up on your blog. You can enter an email address that you want to have the requests sent to. If you leave it blank, it may still email it to the blogger account email, but it will notify you on your dashboard always.
• Show Word Verification--should be on Yes
• For Who Can Comment?-- not sure this matters... eventually we will have this set up as a private blog, which means that only the people you have invited are allowed to see it, so I'm not sure this applies, however you should probably change it to registered users, or only members of this blog if you would like.
• Click Save Settings in the top right corner

5. Also under Settings, click on Language and Formatting:

• Change the time zone to Mountain Time (NOT Arizona Mountain Time)
• Leave everything else the same
• Click Save Settings in the top right corner

This completes what is required for your Blog Creation assignment. Beyond this, customizing your blog makes it original to you as an individual. You can add pictures, other widgits (keep in mind, not very many people are going to see this, so do not add ads). You can change the background and fonts, stretch and change the layout, etc. I'll put up another post about customizing.

Create Your Blog

In order to get started with this assignment, you must create your blog.  In order to do that, follow the steps outlined below:
1. You need to set up an account on blogger.com.

• Go to blogger.com, and log in with your school email log in and password: 
• username: skywardusername@alpinesd.org
• password: 00+your student id# (if you happen to have a seven digit id#, then your password would be 0+your student id#)
• Once you are able to log in on blogger.com it will ask you to set up a profile.... CHOOSE LIMITED BLOGGER PROFILE. Choose your display name: DO NOT use your first and last name! Choose a pen name that you will write under (please make it school appropriate) you will give me this information in a later step. Do not add a lot of information to your profile itself, or at least if you do, make sure none of it identifies you as an individual, or your location.
• Hit continue to blogger

2. At this point, you should be on a screen that allows you to create your blog. Hit the Create Blog button.

• Give your blog a title (this can be anything from English Notebook, to Dancing Ninjas Falling from the Sky, depending on how creative you want it to be), but it must be school appropriate.
• Give your blog a web address (no punctuation, spaces, etc). This should go with your blog title (for example, if you just went with English Notebook, it could be broncofanenglishnotebook or dancingninjasfalling). Do not add the .blogspot.com... blogger will do this for you. 
• Pick a template.... any template... you can always change it later
• Click "Create Blog"

3. Complete the Blog Creation form to receive credit for your blog.

Blog Creation Form (click here to get credit for this assignment)

Hooray!! Your blog should be created, and I should have your blog address and pen name. That is step one....  Next, on to the requirements for set up, widgets and customizing...